At the beginning of January 1919 the state was in a crisis. A part of the
working class began to get impatient, especially in Berlin. But there was
a great danger that if the Berlin workers tried to take power alone they
could end up isolated & endash; the same happened in Russia in July
1917.

But the ruling class was getting impatient as well and wanted action.
Ebert and the army officers planned an attack on the Spartacists. On
December 29 Ebert asked Noske, along with the Freikorps, a voluntary
anti-Bolshevik part of the army, to lead the attack. Noske had become the
People's Commissar of Defence on January 6. A vicious campaign against the
Spartacists (especially Luxemburg and Liebknecht) was executed by the
bourgeois press, assisted by the Social Democratic paper. At the same time
the SPD government also opened a campaign against the police chairman in
Berlin, Emil Eichorn, because he was a member of the USPD and publicly
known to be a revolutionary. The SPD attacked Eichorn to provoke the
Spartacists, the USPD and the Berlin workers into premature action. Many
workers saw Eichorn as the last bulwark for their defence in the city. On
January 3 Eichorn was asked to resign, but refused to do so. The Berlin
executive of the USPD, which was in discussions with the revolutionary
shop stewards, adopted a resolution supporting Eichorn and met with the
leaders of the KPD.

January 5, 1919

Advance of armed Spartacist 'troops'

Spartacists in advance to the
'Vorwärts'

January 7, 1919

On top of the
Brandenburger Tor:
government loyal troops (Freikorps), armed with machineguns and
handgranates,
ready to fight the Spartacists.

Together the USPD,
KPD and revolutionary shop stewards called for a mass demonstration on
January 5, 1919. Hundred of thousands of workers marched to the police
headquarters. A revolutionary committee was established with
representatives from the USPD, the KPD and the revolutionary shop
stewards. They were informed that the Berlin garrison was supporting them
and that they could rely on military assistance. With this apparent
support they decided to use the opportunity to try and overthrow the SPD
government. The next day 500,000 workers were on strike and a massive
demonstration took place. Several places were occupied by the workers: the
SPD paper Vorwärts, along with the railway headquarters, food warehouses,
etc.

January 11, 1919

Spartacist barricades in defense of the
Vorwärts building

Spartacists defending the Vorwärts
building

Freikorps troops in front of the Vorwärts building

On January 10 and
during the following days, the Freikorps and the other troops gathered by
Noske moved into the city. The government was determined to take back the
Vorwärts building, and attacked it with heavy artillery. The 300 workers
occupying it had to surrender. In a week 156 had been killed.